To See is Good; to Foresee is Better

Proverbs 22:3 – A prudent man foresees the evil and hides himself, the simple pass on and are punished.

Prudence is an old word that has gone out of vogue in modern times, however, it contains powerful shades of meaning and is worth a close look. The word has to do with having forethought and being able to see far ahead. And, not surprisingly, that is exactly how it is used here. The prudent man is a wise man who is always looking ahead. Knowledge deals with what has happened and can only analyze and assess past and current circumstances. Wisdom, however, deals with what is going to happen. What is coming? What will this year bring? What precautions should we be taking? What preparations are needed? Wisdom foresees.

Prudent people do not blunder ahead rashly, but instead, they cautiously consider all factors before moving forward. Foolish and naïve people never dream of something bad happening to them, they live like the world is a playground, created only for their enjoyment and ease. Sensible ones, on the other hand, know that the world is actually more of a battleground, with dangers on every side and evil people lurking around every corner desiring to steal goods or harm others. Wisdom foresees and prepares. The financially wise prepare for an inevitable economic slowdown, but the financially foolish think it is always going to boom. A wise person prepares for the changes that come as one ages, the fool thinks he will be thirty years old forever.

The prudent one is a humble one who knows his limitations and has a sensible view of his frailty and weakness, thus he hides himself. He doesn’t hide himself out of fear, or cowardice, but he hides himself out of a proper assessment of life and his own mortality. He hides himself for the benefit of all those around him. Wisdom knows when to hide and has the humility to do it, even though others may foolishly misunderstand and misinterpret his caution.    

Foolishness is always living in the moment and not having eyes to see what may be coming down the pike, so to speak. It is important to realize that when the Bible uses the term simple, it is not a compliment. To be simple is to be naïve and unrealistic about how life works, and it is connected to immaturity and childishness. Keeping things simple is good but, being a simpleton is not. Silliness, thoughtlessness and irresponsibility are all close siblings that linger and loiter together, indeed, they are a chip off the old block, and their father is pride.

A proud and arrogant fool is one who mocks and ridicules the ideas of safety and taking cover under wise principles and practices. ‘I don’t need to save money. I don’t need to curb my spending. I don’t need a life-jacket. I don’t need a seat belt. I don’t need to take precautions.’ And on and on these fools blindly rant, until the bankruptcy courts and the local cemeteries fill up.

God is offering us His wisdom. He is warning us to not delay, because now is the time to be ready for what lies ahead. We must forsee what is coming so we can plan accordingly. Do not procrastinate. Do not hesitate. Do not be fearful, but be wise; be prudent, and begin now to hide yourself in the protective principles of wisdom.

You Were, But Now, You Are

Ephesians 5:8 – For you were sometimes darkness, but now are you light in the Lord: walk as children of light.

    Everyone of us has a past, and usually checkered history, or, as my pastor says, ‘We are all ex-somebodies.’ The challenge of the new life in Christ is to leave the past and focus on the now. We cannot change a single thing about our history, we can only change our perspective and our response to it. Paul says that you were at one time darkness: not only in the dark, or living in the darkness, but darkness itself. I was united to the darkness. Like a cult-like, controlling family; I had a genetic bond with darkness and its’ power entranced me. I was surrounded by it on every side and captivated by its strange and alluring power. Darkness represents evil and all its relatives and friends; misery, destruction, disaster and death. Like a fish in water, we were engulfed in this realm, completely unaware that there was even another world.

    But now. You were at one time, a certain way, but now, you are changed. You were darkness, but now, things are different, and everything has shifted. You have left the old, tyrannical regime that kept you under its thumb; oppressed and enslaved. You have now entered a brand-new world of freedom and opportunity. You have not only entered in, but you have become spiritually, and thus vitally, connected to the light. You were darkness, but now, you are light. You were, but now, you are. That was then, this is now. You are light, but not light with its own power source. No! You are light in the Lord. You are in Him, that is, you are in union with Him, who is the power source. You are closer than two entities could ever be, in fact, your being has been assimilated into His, and you now have His identity. I have a new identity because of my new nature, which is light. It is natural now, we might say, to live and walk in the light.

    Our lives are not to be fearful and frantic, nor harried and hurried. They are to be a walk with the Lord in the light. Walk, don’t run, we sometimes tell our children. Walk. Slow down. Pace yourself. Enjoy the view. It is amazing how much ground can be covered if one keeps walking. We are children of light, which means, we have been born of light and we thus have a nature that is drawn to the light; it is completely at home in the light. Walk. Don’t strive, or struggle, or try to make things happen; just walk. Walking is normal to life and it is within the ability of all people. It takes no special skill to walk, and that should make us happy because we may not consider ourselves to have a special skill. Christianity is not a huge set of rules to follow, or tasks to accomplish. It is simply a walk with your Father through life. Let Him point out what needs to happen and which road to take. When we walk with another, we usually enjoy quiet conversation and we may also notice interesting things along the way. We walk together, we talk with one another, and we appreciate the companionship as we journey through life side by side. Be encouraged, friends, it’s a new day. The sun is up, and the light is shining; let’s go for a walk!